# Cheaper alternative to Vinotemp?



## 92hatchattack (May 30, 2009)

Hey guys, dont mean to start a new thread and all but am looking to attrack some users that me be using a different brand wine cooler than the Vinotemp.

It seems everyone in the past has used to vinotemp because it was easily opbtainable from Target and was priced very well. Well, since the Vinotemp prices have nearly doubled i was wondering if there were other Thermoelectric wine cooler options.

I anyone using anything else with a lower price tag and having great sucess?

Thanks guys,

---Joe


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## Cletus (Apr 8, 2009)

Joe....take a look at the Edgestar 28. Seems to be about $100 cheaper than the Vinotemp.

Check out Qball's nice writeup about his Edgestar build: clicky

.


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## 92hatchattack (May 30, 2009)

Interesting, but from reading his write up it seems that the unit runs to cold and an additional $60 needs to be used to fix this. I will keep it in mind though. Thank you for posting!


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## Blacklog_angler (Apr 30, 2010)

I recently bought a Whynter SNO 28 bottle. Paid $199 on new egg but now i'm seeing them for $150-$160 online and I think target. 

It does the job. The temperature reading on the front isn't very accurate but I just leave the temperature control on the highest setting and it stays consistently around 67-70 degrees which is perfect for me. Monitor the temp with a Hygro combo since the coolers temp gauge always reads lower than it is inside.

If you do a search on here there is some nice pics people put up with this unit and shelves. If you order shelves they are identical size to the edgestar units.


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

92hatchattack said:


> Hey guys, dont mean to start a new thread and all but am looking to attrack some users that me be using a different brand wine cooler than the Vinotemp.
> 
> It seems everyone in the past has used to vinotemp because it was easily opbtainable from Target and was priced very well. Well, since the Vinotemp prices have nearly doubled i was wondering if there were other Thermoelectric wine cooler options.
> 
> ...


I was doing the same thing you are - I just found the Avanti 28 bottle wine cooler on sale at PC Richards for $179.97 with free shipping AND an additional $35 dollar mail in rebate. Final cost was 144.97 plus tax so I had to take advantage of that one given the prices on the vinotemps.

add www to pcrichard.com/catalog/product.jsp?modelNo=SWC2800M


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## deep (Mar 13, 2009)

Blacklog_angler said:


> I recently bought a Whynter SNO 28 bottle. Paid $199 on new egg but now i'm seeing them for $150-$160 online and I think target.
> 
> It does the job. The temperature reading on the front isn't very accurate but I just leave the temperature control on the highest setting and it stays consistently around 67-70 degrees which is perfect for me. Monitor the temp with a Hygro combo since the coolers temp gauge always reads lower than it is inside.
> 
> If you do a search on here there is some nice pics people put up with this unit and shelves. If you order shelves they are identical size to the edgestar units.


+1...picked one up at K-Mart online it was about or just under $150 delivered with some kind of sale they had. It stays at 65-68 degrees and 64%-67% with a pound of 65% beads. It is not top of the line but it looks fine for me; a nice silver color with blue led temp display. The only thing I did was cover the drain with electrical tape. The only thing I have yet to figure out is if the power goes out when it comes back on the unit defaults back to 50 degrees, so I have come home to cold cigars a couple times - but it is not like it would hurt them.


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## Blacklog_angler (Apr 30, 2010)

deep said:


> +1... The only thing I have yet to figure out is if the power goes out when it comes back on the unit defaults back to 50 degrees, so I have come home to cold cigars a couple times - but it is not like it would hurt them.


I have the same problem but don't consider it more than an inconvenience. I also covered the drain with some clear packaging tape.


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## 92hatchattack (May 30, 2009)

All of you guys covering your drains have no issue with any condensation building up inside or anything?


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## Blacklog_angler (Apr 30, 2010)

92hatchattack said:


> All of you guys covering your drains have no issue with any condensation building up inside or anything?


Not really since your not running the thing hard to keep upper 60's. Once in a very great while I see a drop or two of water and this is usually when the power goes out and thing defaults to 55 degrees. Just to be safe though I wouldn't put anything in the bottom of the cooler without a shelf.


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## rcgolf (May 31, 2010)

Ive been seeing a lot of these cooler, wine type devises, as its getting closer to summer...

MY question is, whats too hot for keeping cigars fresh? Whats the optimal range?


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## 92hatchattack (May 30, 2009)

I think most people, when talking about temperatures are worried about beetles. They are prone to hatching in higher temps from the mid 70's and up.


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## Ndimarco (Jan 4, 2009)

With the Whynter how many boxes do you think it could hold? I'm looking at buying one but am considering just buying a second just in case! Thanks

Nick

Also do you think they would stack alright? Or better off side by side? Thanks


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## thegoldenmackid (Mar 16, 2010)

guitar7272 said:


> I was doing the same thing you are - I just found the Avanti 28 bottle wine cooler on sale at PC Richards for $179.97 with free shipping AND an additional $35 dollar mail in rebate. Final cost was 144.97 plus tax so I had to take advantage of that one given the prices on the vinotemps.
> 
> add www to pcrichard.com/catalog/product.jsp?modelNo=SWC2800M


I'm interested in this, finding reviews hasn't been easy.


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## 92hatchattack (May 30, 2009)

Something about the weird mirror finish on the glass of the Avanti unit turns me off. I have found the Edgestar 28 for $211 shipped though. I hope i can find it near the same price when i dive into this project in about 2 months.


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## thegoldenmackid (Mar 16, 2010)

Unfortunately I'm probably going to dive in in the next two weeks. I'm thinking about covering the glass for light purposes.


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## deep (Mar 13, 2009)

92hatchattack said:


> All of you guys covering your drains have no issue with any condensation building up inside or anything?


I have a shelf on the bottom slot so nothing sits on the bottom directly, but the only time I had condensation was the intial setup. I coved the bottom with loose cedar form boxes and during the first day a few dripps rolled down and got the cedar wet.


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

thegoldenmackid said:


> I'm interested in this, finding reviews hasn't been easy.


Problem is the reviews are all tailored towards storing wine but I can certainly let you know how it goes when mine gets here. I received an email today from PC Richards saying delivery was ready and to call them to schedule - long story short it'll be here on Thursday. Now to get beads and then size it for cedar trays/drawers from chasidor.


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## cruisin66stang (Jan 5, 2008)

The Vinotemp resets to 55F if you get a power blip. When that happens, the humidity get out of whack for a few days. Call me over the top, but I put a battery backup on it and that helps ride through most blips. It won't last long if there is an extended outage, but that does not happen often.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Just throwing an idea out there for those looking for something cheap...

As temps are rising, I decided to try one of those blue ice blocks in my coolidor. I'm still experimenting, but it seems to work great so far. Wrapping the block tightly with a towel helps insulate it and slow down the rate of cooling, and keeps it from sucking the moisture from the air through condensation. The temp drops to about 62 degrees within a few hours of putting the block in, and since the cooler insulates, it stays cool fairly well. After about a day and a half, the block is completely thawed, and I swap it out for another one. Even after 36 hours or so (time to swap the blue ice block), the cooler temp is right at 70 degrees when its 76 or so in my house, and my little desktop humidor reads 74.

Like I said...I'm still fiddling with the idea. I just started doing this a couple of days ago.

The only drawback is that the block has to be changed out every day or day and a half or so (might be ok to stretch it to two days). No issue for me, as my cooler is just a couple of steps from my deep freezer, and I'm in the cooler at least every couple of days anyway. Also, I think I may need to add some more beads...humidity drops to about 62 when its at its coldest, and swings up to 70 when the temp is at its highest.

edited to add: does anyone else do this? good idea or not? any thoughts?


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## jganyard (Jun 6, 2006)

I bought a 28 bottle Avanti at Brandsmart a few weeks ago for ~$150. Just finished measuring it for drawers and shelves.


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

My Avanti arrived today - just unboxed it, set it up and loaded it up with some empty cigar boxes to help regulate the temperature and remove any plastic/manufacturing smells. Can't wait for my beads to arrive so I can get the RH set.

Now to measure for shelves :twisted:


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## e-man (Jan 5, 2009)

gahdzila said:


> Also, I think I may need to add some more beads...humidity drops to about 62 when its at its coldest, and swings up to 70 when the temp is at its highest.
> 
> edited to add: does anyone else do this? good idea or not? any thoughts?


It's all "Mind Over Matter". If you don't mind, then it doesn't matter.

How do they smoke? If the rH swings don't affect your burn, then you're good to go. Keeping sticks in cello and/or boxes will reduce the impact from the rH swings.

Also, don't just add more beads to the pile. Spread them out so they have more surface area and can react quicker.


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## thegoldenmackid (Mar 16, 2010)

guitar7272 said:


> My Avanti arrived today - just unboxed it, set it up and loaded it up with some empty cigar boxes to help regulate the temperature and remove any plastic/manufacturing smells. Can't wait for my beads to arrive so I can get the RH set.
> 
> Now to measure for shelves :twisted:


Please keep me updated as I'll probably be buying one in two weeks or so.


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

thegoldenmackid said:


> Please keep me updated as I'll probably be buying one in two weeks or so.


So far so good - the deal at PC Richards (free shipping plus $35 rebate) is good through June 20th. I'm still waiting for my beads to arrive and I'm sure it'll be weeks before I can order and install the drawers.

Here it is so far...


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## thegoldenmackid (Mar 16, 2010)

Let me know how it goes through the weekend and I'll probably pull the trigger on Monday.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

e-man said:


> It's all "Mind Over Matter". If you don't mind, then it doesn't matter.
> 
> How do they smoke? If the rH swings don't affect your burn, then you're good to go. Keeping sticks in cello and/or boxes will reduce the impact from the rH swings.
> 
> Also, don't just add more beads to the pile. Spread them out so they have more surface area and can react quicker.


You're probably right that it really isnt a big deal, and I'm just worrying too much. :nerd:

Actually, I've been moving a few at a time to my desktop humi ("short term, will smoke soon" storage), so they sit in a more stable humidity (though slightly warmer) environment for a couple of days before they get smoked. Everything seems to be smoking just fine.

Everything in the cooler is in boxes, and many (but not all) are still in cello.

IIRC, I have about a pound and a half of beads in the cooler, and they're spread out in 5 different pantyhose.

Thanks for the input!!!


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

gahdzila said:


> Just throwing an idea out there for those looking for something cheap...
> 
> As temps are rising, I decided to try one of those blue ice blocks in my coolidor. I'm still experimenting, but it seems to work great so far. Wrapping the block tightly with a towel helps insulate it and slow down the rate of cooling, and keeps it from sucking the moisture from the air through condensation. The temp drops to about 62 degrees within a few hours of putting the block in, and since the cooler insulates, it stays cool fairly well. After about a day and a half, the block is completely thawed, and I swap it out for another one. Even after 36 hours or so (time to swap the blue ice block), the cooler temp is right at 70 degrees when its 76 or so in my house, and my little desktop humidor reads 74.
> 
> ...


That's what I did a cpl days last summer.
works pretty well
I am experimenting with different size packs


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

Well these arrived today (great service from bargain humidors, btw!)









Sprayed them with distilled water as per instructions, bagged them and put them in the avanti with an additional container full at the bottom. 2 lbs total conservagel 65% beads.










Just waiting on the RH to stabilize now - it's already came up from ~50 earlier today and that was before I sealed the drain port.


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## Chris R (Jun 10, 2009)

I might be a little late to the discussion but I found this movie the other day and figured some might want to see it.

Here is a guy that is using a Avanti for his smokes

YouTube - Wine Cooler Cigar Humidor - 28 Count Bottle

Does anybody have rough guess on how may boxes a 28 bottle cooler can hold?

In the near future I am going to have to expand my cigar storage and I am trying to decide if I want to go with a wine cooler or just go with another cooler.


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## thegoldenmackid (Mar 16, 2010)

Well, there's 8 in the one above. Some of those boxes aren't the ideal for tetris, but that's another story.


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

Chris R said:


> I might be a little late to the discussion but I found this movie the other day and figured some might want to see it.
> 
> Here is a guy that is using a Avanti for his smokes
> 
> ...





thegoldenmackid said:


> Well, there's 8 in the one above. Some of those boxes aren't the ideal for tetris, but that's another story.


Yeah, most of them are just freebies I got from my B&M to fill the empty space - not to mention they're pulled out to the front of the shelf; if I were to push them back, there would be more room to stick stuff. The shelves also take up a lot of room below them because they're shaped to fit bottles. After installing cedar or home-depot wire shelving, I'd wager you could cram quite a bit in there if you're skilled in the art of tetris.


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## kutzy33 (Apr 25, 2010)

Nice job, I like it.


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## jganyard (Jun 6, 2006)

guitar7272 said:


> My Avanti arrived today - just unboxed it, set it up and loaded it up with some empty cigar boxes to help regulate the temperature and remove any plastic/manufacturing smells. Can't wait for my beads to arrive so I can get the RH set.
> 
> Now to measure for shelves :twisted:


Placed my order with Chasden.. he's updated his site to include the trays and shelves for (most) Avanti units. Of course he has the big caveat that you should still measure since there is apparently some variations.


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## jfeva0049 (Nov 19, 2009)

does anyone have this model edgestar 28

TWR285WD EdgeStar 28 Bottle Wood Wine Cellar

i love the looks of it, but im curious if chasden's shelves would work for it or not?? any info on this model would be great , thanks.


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## 92hatchattack (May 30, 2009)

^^^ WOW that is outstanding! I have not seen this before! Is it new?


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

He sells shelves for the edgestar units as well - even if he didn't, he takes requests for custom work.


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## centralharbor (May 20, 2010)

Not sure if this is an already explored alternative, or if this is even cheaper, but has anyone used a Coleman PowerChill? It's a 40 quart cooler/warmer. I guess if it gets too cold for some of you, it could be used to warm your cigars. It plugs into a cigarette lighter plug in your car, but there's an adapter for home use. I saw it on ebay, but they also sell it on amazon.

I can't post links yet, but if you search coleman powerchill in amazon, you'll find it.


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## e-man (Jan 5, 2009)

centralharbor said:


> Not sure if this is an already explored alternative, or if this is even cheaper, but has anyone used a Coleman PowerChill? It's a 40 quart cooler/warmer. I guess if it gets too cold for some of you, it could be used to warm your cigars. It plugs into a cigarette lighter plug in your car, but there's an adapter for home use. I saw it on ebay, but they also sell it on amazon.
> 
> I can't post links yet, but if you search coleman powerchill in amazon, you'll find it.


Does it have a thermostat? All the ones I've seen have two settings: Warm and Chill.

That thing is made to keep food cold, which requires a temperature below 40 degrees. Most people prefer 60-65 degrees for their cigars, so it needs to have an adjustable thermostat to be usable.

You could buy a Johnson Control adjustable thermostat for it, but then you lose any cost advantage over the Wine Fridge which is also bigger and more visually appealing.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

jfeva0049 said:


> does anyone have this model edgestar 28
> 
> TWR285WD EdgeStar 28 Bottle Wood Wine Cellar
> 
> i love the looks of it, but im curious if chasden's shelves would work for it or not?? any info on this model would be great , thanks.


No, sadly, but I've been eyeballing that one for two years.

Caveat Emptor! Just a note on Haier and Avanti. Lots and lots of horror stories and bad consumer reviews on these. Just be sure you do your research and read everything you can find before plunking down your dough. If I were to consider them, I'd factor a Johnson controller into the price, before pulling the trigger. Just sayin'.

Vinotemp and Edge Star are pretty well established. They've been out there a long time and have proven themselves reliable.


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## thegoldenmackid (Mar 16, 2010)

Herf N Turf said:


> No, sadly, but I've been eyeballing that one for two years.
> 
> Caveat Emptor! Just a note on Haier and Avanti. Lots and lots of horror stories and bad consumer reviews on these. Just be sure you do your research and read everything you can find before plunking down your dough. If I were to consider them, I'd factor a Johnson controller into the price, before pulling the trigger. Just sayin'.
> 
> Vinotemp and Edge Star are pretty well established. They've been out there a long time and have proven themselves reliable.


Thanks for that last bit Don. I'm leaning towards Edgestar. If my ambient temp is in the high 70s is the Johnson still necessary to get in the 65ish range. I don't care about being dead on 70, but 59 sounds concerning.


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## guitar7272 (Sep 24, 2008)

Update on mine... The temperature readout on the unit itself seems to be off - I have the temp set to 65 and the thermometer reads 59 constantly. My hygrometer inside reads 65 degrees / 68 RH steadily, though, so I'm a happy camper. The only thing I don't like so far is that the avanti units have half as many shelf slots as a comparable vinotemp/edgestar so you have to go with the double drawer from chasidor to maximize your space. If you get the single drawer, it doesn't fill up the space between levels properly.


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